Review: The Art of Erotic Writing

I chanced upon Jess C Scott's erotic stash during a Google search for "quality erotica."

I thought the stash was a rather interesting and well-curated personal collection, divided into five parts in total. So I downloaded a copy of The Art of Erotic Writing, Scott’s free eBook on quality literature.

The old-world and tasteful cover were appealing. There is “nudity” on the cover, which the painting depicts in a more sensuous than lewd way.

I wasn’t exactly sure how much the author would cover in an 11,000-word eBook. A cursory glance at the table of contents shows the scope of the subjects touched upon:

Scott wastes no time in the introduction to the eBook, in which she shares how the following two quotes reflect her belief in the need for quality erotic literature that deals with sexuality in an enriching, authentic way:

(1) “...Indeed, it makes it vital for good erotica to be published, so that we can see for ourselves the difference between the life-enhancing, and the sordid and destructive. . .”
--Erotica: An Illustrated Anthology of Sexual Art and Literature, by Charlotte Hill and William Wallace

(2) “Real sex is the sort our culture and most mass media propaganda don’t recognize: not that intercourse, or masturbation, or genital kisses aren’t real sex, but some other things are real sex too, which people need, but which don’t excite our time and age. . .”
-- The Joy of Sex, by Dr. Alex Comfort

These two quotes reflected my own long-time jadedness with pop culture. Once in a while, I truly get tired of hype and wish to find something unique. (On a side note, perhaps that is what partly influenced me to read the entire eBook, since Scott writes in the introduction that she is “the founder of jessINK, an innovative publishing company that focuses on substance over current fads and marketing hype.”)

I thought Scott’s Fifty Shades article in the eBook would be a rant against the popular novel. I would have given it a go if it was done in an entertaining style like Katrina Passick Lumsden’s review. I would also have cut Scott a little bit of slack since she is a self-described “non-conformist.”

However, that she actually read the book and provided excerpts from the text to back up her points was commendable. The article is a critical analysis of Fifty Shades, with a rather lucid breakdown as to why that book was not exactly to explore BDSM or personal sexual themes. (Particularly when it’s a known fact that Fifty Shades originated as Twilight fan fiction.)

Scott’s kind and inclusive stance is evident when she talks about the writing process for 4:Play, her first erotic short story anthology, which features taboo sex, incubus/succubus sex, LGBTQ relationships, amongst other sexual situations. About that anthology, she writes:

“When it comes to original/innovative fiction, I don’t believe that a book should be *only* about gay fiction, or *only* about urban fantasy, etc. I’m all for diversity, open-mindedness (however one wishes to define that), and having the freedom to be who/what you are with yourself and others.”

Scott then gives a short commentary on PLAY, a BDSM-themed anthology she published in 2011. This collection depicts a wide-ranging and authentic portrayal of what real BDSM is like, in terms of “daily action” amongst regular people who are being experimental with their approach to sex and sexuality. Scott seems to have an extremely averse reaction to fluffy portrayals of sex and relationships, so it’s interesting to see the various (and varied!) directions she takes in order to paint a raw and realistic portrayal of sexuality.

People who enjoy the “fairytale” happily-ever-after romance in their erotic reading material might loathe some of the things Scott has to say. Then again, I can understand why writers like Scott would feel annoyed, when erotic romance has flooded a genre that could be a lot more interesting if it doesn't always follow the happily-ever-after formula, a formula which is pretty traditional and conservative at the end of the day.

I like that Scott ended the “Religion and Sex” short essay on this note:

“It would certainly be a good cause to inspire others to map out a sane course in their own lives, between the two extremes of rigid puritanism and total permissiveness (paraphrased from Buddhism and Sex)."

If you’re seeking fifty different shades of billionaire erotica, you’ll be able to find them in abundance online. If you get tired of that some day and would like to try something different, download a copy of The Art of Erotic Writing. It’ll give you a lot of important things to consider and think about—intrinsic values that are a world of difference from the stuff the hype-fueled mainstream media prefers to promote.